Key facts
- Israeli air strikes killed at least 17 people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
- Nine people were killed in Tayr Debba, three in Deir Qanoun el-Nahr, and two in Sidon.
- Israel abducted a municipal councillor and a worker in Kfarshuba.
- Hezbollah reported targeting Israeli troops and military vehicles.
- UN human rights investigators will examine potential violations in Lebanon.
Israeli air strikes intensified across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people, according to Lebanese media. Nine people were killed in Tayr Debba alone when Israeli jets and drones carried out at least four strikes. Two other people died in the nearby village of Deir Qanoun el-Nahr, and an Israeli air strike on Deir ez-Zahrani killed at least three people. Later, an Israeli drone strike in the coastal city of Sidon killed two people who were in a targeted car. One person was also reportedly killed in the Massaken al-Shaabiya area of Tyre. On Tuesday, 11 people were killed in strikes in the same area, prompting Israel to issue a new evacuation order for Tyre. The Israeli military stated it had struck six Hezbollah infrastructure sites and launchers in Tyre and other southern areas on Tuesday. Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted Israeli troops and military vehicles with rockets and shellfire. The exchanges follow Iran's warning that it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to attack Lebanon, a warning Israel stated it would not accept. UN human rights chief Volker Türk announced the dispatch of a team of investigators to Lebanon to examine possible human rights violations by all sides since March. The team is expected to present findings in July, with evidence potentially used for war crimes prosecutions. Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on March 2, following an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader, leading to Israeli bombing campaigns and an invasion of southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry reports at least 3,696 deaths during the conflict, while Israeli authorities report 30 soldiers and four civilians killed. Approximately one million people in Lebanon are displaced, and 1.4 million require humanitarian aid.